Pressing the Windows button on the keyboard in full screen mode crashes the game

[Kailea_Nagisa]

If that's your idea of an easy fix, I'm glad you never became a surgeon.

I believe the underlying problem stems from SE's console development methodology. One of the reasons Vista required DX10 is because the Aero stuff required use of Direct3D to render screen components, and prior to DX10, D3D only allowed one application to access the framebuffer via D3D at any time. Essentially, the game (or more likely Crystal Tools) has a poorly-constructed rendering engine which is trying to write frame data regardless of the state of the application. For example - a well-designed game shouldn't be trying to draw frames while minimized, as those frames are going to simply be discarded, but yet it does.

The error we're seeing here is not unlike a null pointer exception, actually. The previous device doesn't exist anymore and the engine is continuing to try to write updates to it.

Had Crystal Tools isolated the rendering engine from the game application itself, as would be desireable for having the ability to effect run-time graphics option changes, then I suspect this problem would be much easier for them to fix...but I think ultimately it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how to do proper PC development.

yeah I figured it was a direct X or a Crystal Tools issue, as it was with FFXI (direct X that is), and I normally dont tell people to "oh just do this to bypass your problem" because I know in the PC world....that never really is a good idea. But in this case, it is only the matter of disabling a key on your keyboard temporarily, till the real problem is fixed

[Blitz0309]

A game made for the PC.. crashes any time it looses focus. Sorta shows how much they lack insight.

[KaiKatzchen]

Actually you sir are mistaken because your quote does not support your claim it was due to complaints of any kind, let alone of the kind I was referring to.

One: I am a woman, not a sir.

Two: It says in black a white (and I'll even be kind and bold the areas that show connection)

The additional features comes after vocal support and demand by the community (YOU) to allow a built-in window mode option

and you said:

A windowed mode was added to FFXI not because people complained, but because they wanted to be able to run the game in a window.

I don't know about everyone else but 'vocal support and demand' sounds like a nice way of saying complaining to me. I played FFXI for 6 years and I was on a lot of forums during that time, believe me there was a lot of complaining just like you're doing now about the FFXIV full screen mode and the window button.

Three: This is obviously one of those cases where if everyone does not think exactly like you and agree with you 100% they are either a white knight or a troll. These are also the exact threads that never get anything accomplished because the OP is always being rude to people (unless they are supporting him) who have an alternate or slightly different view.

If you have any complaints about the quote saying that it was put into FFXI due to vocal and demanding players then you might want to contact SE since I found it on their official site. Obviously their are wrong too, and you might want to let them know that.

http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics...93/detail.html

Good Day Sir or Ma'am, I'll be done with this thread now.

[Chocobits]

The PC operating system which every MMO, Final Fantasy or otherwise is run on is called "Windows".

It is called "Windows" because each application's GUI is launched in its own window, and the "s" denotes plural, meaning multiple applications can be run at the same time.

Developing an application that cannot be windowed or conform to standards and UI controls that were already established precedents during development, such as DirectX 10, Aero and User Account Control is beyond lacking in foresight - it's sheer lunacy.

This is the exact same bullhooey that was present at FFXI's release. While the Vista+ features could not have been predicted by the original FFXI Dev team, the windowing issue was absurd and was partially responsible for player created third party alternatives, which ushered in a slew of cheats and hacks.

The Vista+ features were well-established and blatantly ignored by the FFXIV dev team though, and we will continue to see an incomplete integration of FF MMO's onto modern operating systems so long as this lack of.. what's the term here.. common sense..? pervades the development stage.

Also, for a game client that is available in multiple countries and supports multiple language inputs - why is SE STILL not making their applications unicode compliant?

If I could magically grant SE Devs/Management ONE and only ONE character plus, I think I would consider Foresight, Listening to the Playerbase, Globalization vs Localization mentality, and Consideration and Implementation of Current Standards, but ultimately decide I would give them Common Sense, because all of the above would come with it.

[Griss]

P.S. However, still doesn't change the fact that SE needs to fix the DirectX issue so I can play in full screen again. >.<

No, No it doesn't. but ya gotta do what ya gotta do until the actual problem is fixed.

Happy to hear that worked out for you though.

[Cutriss]

If you have any complaints about the quote saying that it was put into FFXI due to vocal and demanding players then you might want to contact SE since I found it on their official site. Obviously their are wrong too, and you might want to let them know that.

http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics...93/detail.html

To be fair, the quote you reference is editorial material reporting on the decision, and not direct from SE. SE themselves have not, to my knowledge, given a direct reason for the inclusion of a windowed mode.

That said, their windower was well-known to have a poor framerate and bugs of its own compared to the Azaril version.

[Soukyuu]

It's reasons like this we shouldn't just be quiet and find 3rd party workarounds. How else is SE going to realize this isn't acceptable programming until we point it out? Obviously they have no idea, or else they would have improved upon these glaring issues leftover from FFXI.

This. A million times this. Even though the topic was beaten to death several times, we're going to raise it as much as it is needed.

Summing the issue up from the old thread:

It's just a matter of backing up loaded textures when the focus is lost and then restoring them (along with the display device). We can't think of anything else without seeing the source code which obviously won't happen.

[Kailea_Nagisa]

This. A million times this. Even though the topic was beaten to death several times, we're going to raise it as much as it is needed.

Summing the issue up from the old thread:

there is o need to raise it this much now, the deve team has already acknowledged that the problem is there and said they would fix it later, but at this point there are many more important things to get working and release first, that said, until they do fix it, use the method I posted about earlier.

[Cutriss]

there is o need to raise it this much now, the deve team has already acknowledged that the problem is there and said they would fix it later, but at this point there are many more important things to get working and release first, that said, until they do fix it, use the method I posted about earlier.

From what I recall, they said they were considering looking into it, not that they were looking into it. Therefore they're still undecided, therefore it still merits advocacy.

At any rate, if you've been around XI for any length of time, you should know that advocacy up to the day it actually happens is still pretty important.

[Kailea_Nagisa]

From what I recall, they said they were considering looking into it, not that they were looking into it. Therefore they're still undecided, therefore it still merits advocacy.

At any rate, if you've been around XI for any length of time, you should know that advocacy up to the day it actually happens is still pretty important.

I played FFXI from day one of PC release up till alpha of FFXIV.......so yes I know.